NEFARIOUS

11 / 열한

 What is he doing here?

  Out of all people, out of all Yoong Il's acquantainces, why him? She recognized his stoned eyes and fearful face anywhere. Even under his peasant disguise. The Falcon. The most ruthless assassin across the country. A hitman she hired. What was he doing here?

  He should have a death wish. There would be no way he managed to escape from the palace alive. If Commander Kwan caught him, her reputation would shatter, and the secrets between them would spill. Rage boiled within her skin. She should have hired someone else, someone much clever and cold-blooded. But it was too late.

  She tried to steady her breathing. Commander Kwan seemed to not notice her strange behavior, he was too focused on Won-Shik's surrounding for any unpleasant turn out events.

  She could feel Daehyun watching her in silence, but she cared less about that. There must be another way to fix this. She could not just walk away and pretend nothing would happen. Her name was on the brink of death. And she would do anything to save it.

  Based on the words of street, the Falcon sometimes worked alone, but with a team on his back at the hardest times. He might take a lot of risks, but he was no fool. He would have been caught by the guards long ago if he were. Knowing how strict the security in the palace, he must have at least four persons to help him, three if he was lucky.

  Yoong Il glanced at the horde of scholars following behind her, could it be one of them? Or two? She remained her expression neutral, because she caught a scholar boy looking at her sheepishly with flushed cheeks. She tried to hide her scowl. Surely, it wasn't him.

  She shifted her gaze forward. Won-Shik glanced at her. "You seem looking for someone, sister," he said in a low whisper.

  Yoong Il attempted a smirk. "Wouldn't you mind if I was looking for a pretty one?"

  Won-Shik scoffed arrogantly. "Isn't Daehyun not enough for you to play?"

  Daehyun trailed behind her, pretending to not hear anything at all. But only a fool wouldn't recognize the slighest twitch on the edge of his bruised lips.

  "He is merely an asset, brother. You are not the only one allowed to have pretty people to entertain you." She hated defending for Daehyun, it was both waste of time and her energy at this crucial situation. Yet the words just came naturally, her pride won over.

  A dark cloud passed over her brother's face. "You act as if you know everything."

  "I do. As you've said, I know everything when it comes to feeding my curiousity."

  Won-Shik went silent. But within his dark brownish eyes, she could see wars flaring endlessly. His presence here could be a threat to her, it would be impossible to get out of this situation without looking suspicious. Especially when most of the eyes were on her. Especially when her father would be here.

  She gazed forward. If there was a fraud between the scholars, then they would be as trapped as her.

  Commander Kwan would check their attendances, even only in silence. The King was also no fool. A person vanished, he would definitely notice it. He was the one who invited them after all.

  Then what was the Falcon planning? He would not dare to go on a suicidal mission without a second plan. She hired Jung-Hee to find the Queen, not to break into the palace. The Queen could not be here, she would not be here.

  All of her seventeen years, Yoong Il learned many languages and culture. A thousand politics ideologies and economics systems. But she did not have a mind of a skilled assassin. A mind who had killed humans for their own good and money. She almost hated herself for being a princess.